Save Me
by Nea-Nea-The-Last-Angel
Summary: Blood covered the floor like part of a horror movie.Darkfic,Broken Naru! SasuNaru Warning this is Yaoi! Boy On Boy! don't like don't read.
1. Little Windows

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter I

Little Windows

Blood covered the floor like part of a horror movie, Naruto's eyes glazed over as he watched the red spread. He didn't know how long he sat there staring only that the edges of his vision was blurring, he still couldn't look away, it was his art. Beautiful blood red on marble white, his head lulled forward and his arm came into view, red criss cross cuts run all the way up to his elbow.

A small laugh bubbled from his lips and everything went dark. Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura stood outside the blonde's apartment, waiting for the door to be answered, Kakashi was about to give up when he heard a faint laugh followed by a thunk. He wasted no time kicking the door down, taking a quick note of the crappy apartment he rushed over to Naruto, the other two frozen in the doorway, blood, there was so much blood.

~~(break)~~

Naruto's head was full of buzzing, like an angry hive of bees was shoved into his brain, he frowned trying to recall where he was. His eyes opened slowly as he remembered what happened, white walls, white curtain, white bed, white floor. _Am I dead?_ He thought the smell of antiseptics and disinfectants filled his nose _guess not._

The white curtain hiding his bed from the rest of the world as suddenly pulled back by a disappointed Tsunade, she looked age, His teacher right behind her, face blank. She checked his bandages

"what were you thinking? You almost died!" she said angry,

blue eyes looked away from the company

"Wouldn't it be nice to just stop every once in awhile? Not be hated or have expectations, no dreams or feelings?" he said faintly staring at the wall.

She tightened the bandage she was fixing

"you can't just stop! That means death, no continuing" she said glaring at him,

his eyes shoot up to hers, hollow and filled with nothingness

"Sometimes I think its worth it, not having to continue means no one will look at me with those eyes, their words wont hurt as much, nothing will hurt anymore" he blinked slowly and stared ahead again.

Tears nearly fell from honey colored eyes

"where's Naruto?" she asked in an almost whisper.

~~(break)~~

To say Sasuke was shocked would be an understatement, The Hokage ordered Naruto to stay with him, his orders? Watch over the blond, make sure he didn't do it again. Now said blond was sitting in front of him with the most dead eyes he'd ever seen, where was the bundle of sunshine? This Naruto was so... broken, his impossible blue eyes were dull, they reflected nothing. There was no smile on his lips, the scars on his cheeks stood out more now, his spiky blond hair seemed to droop.

He sighed and stood "your room is this way" he began to climb the wooden stairs, the blond behind him, he opened the door next to his own. The large spacious room was decorated simply, paintings of bamboo, cherry blossoms and lavender hung on the walls, a rug with the Uchiha fan woven in around the navy blue, the bed had a simple black and red comforter set.

Naruto moved forward and sat on the bed staring at his bandaged arms

"it didn't hurt" he said his voice empty

"I thought if it hurt, then maybe I'd be okay" he looked at Sasuke now

"it didn't hurt" Sasuke frowned making note to share this with Tsunade later

"It was beautiful, the red on white, like a painting"

_this doesn't make any sense _He thought

"and the pattern was nice" Naruto mumbled before laying down

"like little windows" he pulled the blankets up to his chin

"little windows."

Sasuke shut the door when he was sure the dobe was asleep, not much of what he said made sense, little windows?

~~(break)~~

Tsunade sighed deeply and rubbing her temples as she read what the Uchiha sent for the sixth time, what was the brat talking about? She got up from her desk and looked out her tower window, thinking over what was said, she didn't get it the criss cross wounds on the blond's arm didn't really look like windows to her. This troubled her deeply.

~~(break)~~

Sasuke sat up immediately, he looked around trying to place the disturbance but found nothing out of place, laying back down he felt warmth from his right side, turning he saw Naruto lay tucked at his side. As if there was nothing wrong with sneaking into someone else's bed in the middle of the night, Naruto's blue eyes blinked up at him, fear shining beneath the surface.

Sasuke laid a hand on top of blond locks, he'd probably regret this later but he relaxed and evened out his breathing, Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's nightshirt, unsure of whether to see this as comfort or being ignored, he eventually fell asleep to the even breathing of his teammate.

~~(break)~~

Sasuke woke up feeling oddly cold and stiff, remembering that the blond snuck into his bed he looked over at the now empty side. No Naruto to be seen, but he could vaguely hear the shower from the room next to his, he sighed and sat up, a shower sounded nice.

~~(break)~~

Naruto stirred the rice and flipped the fish before setting the plates on the table, the shower upstairs had just turned off, it would only be a few minutes before his teammate came down. Making sure the rice was done he scooped even amounts onto the plates, he turned to the fish and opened the knife draw, he paused. His eyes saw nothing but the sharp blades laid out neatly, reflecting the light, his hands kept clenching and unclenching as he stared at them.

He didn't know how much time had passed

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted,

walking in to see Naruto staring almost blankly into a draw. It took maybe a second to realize which draw it was and what his blond teammate was seeing, Naruto's head snapped up in an instant and whipped around to meet his eyes, wide with guilt

"I wasn't, the fish, knife" he said kind of quickly trying to explain as he pointed from the draw to the fish and then the table,

where the food was to be set.

Naruto sighed and looked down tugging at the newly wrapped bandages

_I messed up, I shouldn't be near this draw_ he thought sadly moving to sit down in the chair,

he brought his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. Sasuke cut the fish, surprised that the other could even cook, they eat in silence, Sasuke watching Naruto, Naruto watching his plate.

_A/N: hey, I'm not sure about this story, If you like it let me now and I'll continue it. It'll make more sense later I promise please read and review :)


	2. Why Orange?

Chapter II

Why Orange?

Both boys stood silently at the bridge, waiting for their pink haired teammate and their ever late teacher. The raven quietly watched the blond, who would sigh and fidget every few minutes and pull the orange sleeves of his jacket over his hands, before it would slip up again. Sasuke wouldn't admit it out loud but he hated that jacket, it was almost headache inducing with it's bright orange color, he almost wanted to ask why that specific color and shade, but that seemed a stupid question.

It was probably the blond's favorite color, like ramen was his favorite food.

They were soon joined by Sakura, who's pink hair was up in a ponytail, it was unusual but not enough to be noticed

"Sasuke-kun! Good Morning!"

Sasuke grunted "hn"

as Naruto looked up at her and smiled wide

"Morning Sakura! I like your hair" he said some of the old Naruto leaking through.

Sasuke who was still watching him, noticed that the smile and happy voice was fake, had it always been? Sakura paused and looked at him

"I didn't know you were out yet" she looked a little shocked to see him, like he was a ghost

"yeah the let me out and stuck me with the teme" he smiled sheepishly only to be whacked on the head. Sasuke watched just simply watched, Naruto was a good actor, he was acting like it never happened, like he was sent to the hospital for nothing more than a check up.

"Don't say that about Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled at Naruto,

Sasuke caught a brief flash of hurt before it disappeared

"But Sakura! He calls me name's too and you never tell him to stop!" he whined

"that's because he's.." her eyes darted over to the raven then she giggled.

Sasuke decide _that_ never happened, Naruto huffed and sat harshly onto the bridge mumbling about the unfairness of pink haired ninjas. Kakashi appeared with a puff, face lodged in Icha Icha Paradise, Sakura and Naruto looked up shocked

"your almost on time!" Sakura said loudly

"we have a mission" he replied tossing her the scroll.

Sasuke wasn't sure how this happened, Naruto was in front of him, body blocking a near fatal blow. Blood leaked from the wound just under his chest, and from his mouth, Naruto hadn't even flinched, one second he was next to Sakura, then in front of Sasuke. Naruto cocked his fist back and punched the enemy ninja, the ninja fell back, the blond quickly removed the kunai and slashed the ninja acrossed his chest.

Naruto fought the pull of darkness, waiting his enemy out before he dropped. Sasuke stared wide eyed, catching Naruto before he fell completely, his breath was even and relaxed. Kakashi quickly dispatched the last few enemies standing, before going over to the two young teens, the injuries looked life threatening but were quickly healing. He gently lifted the blond from Sasuke's hands

"we're setting up camp for the night" he said before jumping into the trees.

The two students followed quietly, waiting for their teacher to find a place he deemed safe, away from the blood and fallen ninjas.

Naruto blinked a few times, still dizzy and weak from both the attack and the healing, Sasuke sat a few feet from him, shoulders hunched and back to the blond. Why had he tried to save him?

_I'd be sad and lonelier without him_ he thought

_he's one of the few friends I have _he fought the urge to sigh, not liking his own thoughts.

He slowly sat up, not wanting to reopen the wounds and noticing the bandages wrapped around his lower chest upper stomach, it wasn't the best bandage job ever but was more then he needed, he smiled softly to himself.

Guessing it was his raven haired teammate he spoke up

"thank you Sasuke" his voice was soft,

but was enough to startle the raven who may or may not have been lost in thought. Said raven turned to him, cheeks dusted lightly by pink, it could have been his imagination, or the fire that cast its orange-ish glow over the camp.

He nodded simply and replied "hn",

Naruto knew he wouldn't get many words out of him but that little noise was acknowledgement, something very few had given him. He took comfort from the silence, hand gently pressed over the white-ish bandages, he stared up at the night sky, at the little shining orbs of light.

Sasuke had never seen such a peaceful face on the dobe as he did then, the watched as blue eyes stared at the stars. His skin seemed to glow from the fire, the three scar like marks only faintly visible, his blue eyes reflecting the light. He was beautiful, not that he'd ever say that out loud, to anyone or himself.

In the morning oddly enough only a very tiny scar was left from the wound that had happened the night before, this shocked everyone but Naruto

"I heal quickly most of the time" was how he explained it away.

Once inside the village their teacher disappeared to deliver the scroll, leaving Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto alone. Not that they minded.

Sakura stared somewhat blankly at Naruto for a bit, making him fidget and pull at his sleeves, a new nervous habit he was developing

"hey Naruto, why do you always wear orange?" she finally spit out,

Sasuke's interest perked up a little at that having also been curious about it.

He fidgeted more "um the shop owners don't really like me all that much" he said,

eyes anywhere but on his teammates at that moment, Sasuke's eyes narrowed,

"so you don't like that color?" Sakura asked another question

"not really."

She tapped her chin a few times, before walking away.

"Why don't the shop owners like you?" Sasuke asked, Naruto just looked down and shrugged.

_AN: yeah finally finished this chappy! Meaning i'm gonna continue this story, or at least the best i can. Please read and review!


	3. Shopping and Secrets (bleh)

Chapter III

Shopping and Secrets

If anyone asked he would deny it, yup most definitely, because he was not following his blond teammate, nope he just happened to be going the same way. About ten feet behind him, and the newspaper? It's not for hiding behind, nope, it was for reading. Sasuke watched Naruto walk into a clothing store, and looked in the window.

Naruto browsed through the racks, he needed something other than orange, hated the color almost as much as hated ramen, he pulled out a black tank top and smiled, he hung it over his arm and pulled out the next shirt. The top half of it was light stretchy black fabric, the rest was stretchy fishnet, he added it to his arm humming lightly he moved onto the next rack and picked up a pair of black cargo pants, the stitches baby blue.

He also added it to his small pile, suddenly something small and delicate caught his eye, a small thin silver bracelet with all eight of the moon phases lay safe behind a glass case. There was other jewelry surrounding it, but compared they seemed gawky and unattractive, he sighed and grabbed a plain black pair of arm warmers that would go to his elbows, he walked to the cashier and handed her his items. She blushed lightly as he smiled "will this be all for you sir?" he nodded lightly, a fake smile on his lips, Sasuke hid behind a corner as the blond finished at the store.

He was getting a little better at reading his teammate, well enough to know he didn't know him that well, that he was only just grasping a small bit of Naruto. The blond walked quickly to a nearby park, and hidden by the trees sealed his purchases into a scroll, he may not like the color orange but he would have to do with the color inside the village, maybe he could wear them around the Uchiha complex or on away missions. Naruto knew his other raven haired teammate was following him, but he didn't care, next up, something other then ramen. Despite what everyone believed Naruto hated the color orange, he hated ramen and he wasn't as dumb as they thought, it was just easier to act that way.

He picked his way through the grocery store, canned fruits and vegetables, instant rice and dried meats piled up in his small basket, things that wouldn't go bad. He quickly paid for his items and sealed them away as well, before walking back to meet his team. He never wanted them to know just how bad the village actual was, his team was the best part of his day. And secretly one of his favorite things was watching Sasuke fight, in Naruto's mind he was fluid and graceful, it was the main reason he liked sparring with the other.

Kakashi and the rest team seven was waiting for him at the gates, he grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head,

"sorry, I uh got lost."

"geez, leave it to Naruto to get lost on a mission" Sakura whined.

She still wasn't a big fan of his orange clothes or eating habits, but she did kind of like his bright attitude, when he wasn't killing himself anyway.

The trip home was uneventful. Sasuke and Naruto returned home almost as soon as they entered the village, Kakashi would debrief the Hokage, Naruto went straight to the room Sasuke gave him. He quickly hid his scrolls of stuff. It was mostly out of habit, something he learned at a young age, if he wanted to keep this stuff to himself and for himself; It was best to make it disappear.

Sasuke watched Naruto scurry off to his room, he quietly followed with non stalker like footsteps. Because he's not stalking his teammate, nope that's just nonsense, only curiously watching over him. He peered in the door in time to see Naruto stick a scroll between the wall and the bed, it's possibly the weirdest thing he's seen in awhile. Naruto and weird seemed like the best of friends, and sometimes the weirdness went up several levels in a few short hours.

Sasuke leaned against the door frame, waiting for the blond to notice him, and getting completely distracted by the others slender neck, golden tan skin, sapphire blue eyes...

"ne Sasuke, is there something on my face?"

/I am so sorry this is like a bajillion years late and super short wahhhh!\\\\\


	4. Mirror Mirror

Chapter IV

Mirror Mirror

Sasuke didn't say anything, just turned around and left, leaving Naruto just a little more confused. Did he really need to hid the scrolls if he was here? But if someone broken in knowing Naruto was here, then maybe. Naruto sighed and rubbed his head, hearing a shower start a little ways off down the hall,

'_It has been awhile since I last had a proper shower'_ he thought heading to his own.

He flicked the light on and stepped toward the shower, he turned the hot water until it was scorching, not bothering with the cold. Stepping away from the steamy shower, he removed his shirt, catching his reflection in the mirror, he hated it, the blond hair, the blue eyes, it was just more things to set him apart. He couldn't understand why, but he was mad about his reflection, it was the stupid happy blond boy, it was all he could see in the mirror; before he knew it glass was falling to the floor.

Blood leaked from his scratched up knuckles, he looked down at the mess he made, beautiful red was staining the white tiles. There wasn't enough,

_'it needs more red, not enough. Red, more red, glass there's broken glass.'_ Naruto was watching again, his body sat on the cold floor, his scarred hand reaching for a sharp piece of the broken mirror. It didn't hurt, the glass biting and tugging at his skin until it gave way, the brillant color flowed easily from the diagonal line; he started on the next. The lines started crisscrossing again, he watched as the lines got further up his arm, then the other arm started.

He looked at the ground, the red kind of looked like blotchy flowers in his dizzy head, on a white background, the flowers closer to him were running together. Naruto's conscious was slipping away, the edges darkened, he lifted his head at the sound of knocking. The red had made it to the door, which was opening, a yell,

"NARUTO!" it must have been Sasuke.

"Sasssu?" The darkness won.

~~~~~Coffee Break~~~~~~

He had been sitting in the same chair for hours, watching the same bed that held his blond, he may not want to admit it but he was worried. He never wanted to see anything like that ever again.

/_ Sasuke stepped out of the shower drying his hair, he could faintly hear the other shower running. He dried and dressed in clean clothes quickly and waited for the blond to finish up. After thirty minutes of waiting Sasuke stood and walked to the others room, the blond didn't shower _that_ long. He didn't bother knocking on the outer door knowing where the blond was, he did knock on the bathroom door though._

_ No answer, he knocked a little harder _

"_Naruto? Are you okay in there?" again no answer, _

_for some reason the tip of his toe touched something wet, he looked down. _

_'_Why is there blood...!'_ Sasuke quickly opened the door, _

"_NARUTO!"_

_the floor was covered in blood and glass, the blond was looking at him confused, _

"_Sasssu?" was all he uttered before passing out. _

_Sasuke immediately sent a bird for Kakashi before picking up the lighter boy and rushing to the Hokage's office./_

She had managed to heal him most of the way, but he had lost a lot of blood, there would be scars. Sakura came in holding a bowl of soup and a small bouquet of white and yellow daisies,

"it's for when he wakes up, Tsunade said he's too thin for a ninja," she said,placing the soup on the bedside table,

before arranging the flowers in a vase, "She's going to put him on supplements and stuff, he should wake up in a few hours."

Sasuke didn't say anything, he was sure she was mostly talking to fill the silence.

~~~~~WHEEE!sasunaru~~~~

Kakashi did seem to have a sense of time, he managed to arrive five minutes before Naruto awoke. As soon as the teen started moving, he left to fetch Tsunade.

Naruto was lying as still as he could postponing getting up if he could, but there was any annoying alarm going off. He tried swinging his arm out to hit the snooze button, but his arm was very stiff and very sore, not to mention thickly wrapped. He opened his eyes to glare at where the blasted alarm clock should be, instead his narrowed eyes met a surprised Uchiha,

"Sasuke?" his voice was thin sounding,

"Hn." He was now being glared at, not that he minded.

He looked around, seeing nothing but the whiteness of the room,

"why are we at the hospital?" the glare was gone

"you don't remember?" there was a hint of worry in Sasuke's voice, but Uchiha's don't worry,

"um, I remember the starting the shower. Oh sorry" Naruto turned apologetic

"I... I didn't mean to break it, I swear I didn't!" he was fidgeting with the bandages.

Sasuke carefully pulled the smaller's hands away from the wrappings, "Naruto, I'm not mad about the mirror. I'm mad because you hurt yourself again!"

Naruto flinched and looked down "I'm not sorry for that part, but I am about the mess I've made, and the one I caused."

Sasuke gently placed his palm to Naruto's cheek

"Naruto..." there was sadness, and hurt in his voice.

Sakura, Kakashi and Tsunade came in just then, Sasuke quickly pulled his hand away "he's, um uh, awake" he said, a light blush on his cheeks.

/Well this one seems to be the longest, maybe, I don't know . anyway read & review & stuffs -NeaNea\\


	5. Impulse

Chapter V

Impulse

Tsunade just kept handing him bottle after bottle of pills, until he had ten total. She said what they were for but his mind had been focused elsewhere, like how gently Sasuke had touched his cheek, the odd look in his eye, he wanted, so badly, to lean forward and kiss the other. He wasn't sure were these impulses had come from, but now the urge to kiss Sasuke wouldn't go away, Naruto was sure his lips would be soft. Tsunade handed a now quieter Sasuke a list, explaining why each item was on the list, and how it would help his blond.

Sasuke wanted to get away from the hospital, this place was pretty close to hell in his opinion, it smelled like old sick people. And of course he had been about to kiss Naruto before the lovely concerned trio decide to interrupt, he was positive Kakashi knew what he was about to do, the pervert. He was staring at the list, pretending to listen to the Hokage, planning to stop by the store on the way home, and secretly taking quick peeks at Naruto.

He was definitely confused by the blond, one minute he was fine, a little odd but fine, and then he was trying to kill himself again. Was the other just that depressed? He couldn't even try to think like the blond, what hurt though was that Naruto thought he was mad about a mirror, mirrors are replaceable but the sunshine blond wasn't. Not that Sasuke would even know where to look for a replacement, or want to look, and for some reason the whole village just seemed so much darker when Naruto wasn't his happy self.

Tsunade long gave up on the two ninjas, she doubted anything she said made it into their heads, but the slug princess hoped sticking Naruto with Sasuke would help at least a little. The raven haired teen was observant, and though he had never said anything to her about it, she was sure Sasuke secretly cared for his best friend. Tsunade watched them leave, there was a deep sadness in her chest and no amount of sake could make it disappear.

~~~~~Sad Break~~~~~

Naruto stayed quiet, he hadn't said anything at the store, he didn't respond to the taunts of villagers, his lips didn't move once on the way to the Uchiha district. He didn't know what to say, knowing 'hey sorry I tried to kill myself in your guest bathroom' or 'sorry I used your mirror to cut myself up' wasn't going to work. Hell the Uchiha was probably pissed at him, he knew what he did was bad, it didn't incur until afterwords that it might affect his best friend.

The teen would be surprised if he ever had privacy again after that stunt. He wasn't even sure why his reflection set him off, sure there were people that said rude things about his looks, and maybe some of his problems stemmed from being one of the few blonds in the village (though he highly doubted Ino had as much trouble as he did), maybe the whisker marks? A constant reminder why the village hated him in the first place, the odd scars looked very fox like, he was a prankster and that probably didn't help much either.

He sighed, he was just bringing himself down again, which would cause more trouble. Sasuke could practically see the dark clouds hanging over the blond's head, what had Naruto so down? Even his usually spiky hair seemed a little limp,

"Naruto, what do you want for diner?" he asked trying to take away the clouds, but the blond walked past him.

The smaller teen just laid on the couch, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that. I'm trying to stop, really I am but sometimes it's like watching a scary movie. It starts going and I can't find the pause button,"

Sasuke was staring at him oddly, "And then the blood, it starts flowing and it looks like flowers. It's the red on the tiles, and then nothing matters. There's no pain, there's no worries, and everything seems fine right then. Right before I pass out."

He was crying now, Sasuke awkwardly hugged him. The blond sat up and leaned on him, trying to hid his face from the other. Sasuke wasn't sure what he should do, so he emulated a memory from when he was young, and rubbed circles on Naruto's back whispering, "It'll be okay." This whole comforting thing wasn't something he was used to, but for Naruto he would try, he would do what he could to save his blond.

He made sure Naruto was asleep in his room (not wanting to put the other in the room with the blood), before writing his report to Tsunade. After sending it off, he returned to his room to find Naruto sitting up and staring into the dark. There was no answer when he called out to him, he slid into the bed and the blond moved closer to him, whispering something that sounded like,

"cold, did you run to the bathroom?" before they both laid down.

Sasuke again rubbing circles on Naruto's back, and Naruto snuggling into Sasuke's side.

~~~~~Snuggle Break~~~~

Tsunade read through the Uchiha's report, it saddened her to think it, but if Naruto didn't get better soon she might have to send him to a clinic elsewhere. She knew no other doctors in Fire would treat him, hell if they agreed they'd probably convince to do it again. She might have to write the Kazekage of Sand if he didn't improve, oh how she hoped he would get better, because sending the brat so far away would be murder for her.


	6. Nightmares

Chapter VI

Nightmares

Sasuke awoke to a disturbance, a slight shift in the room of some kind. He and Naruto had silently agreed that the blond would sleep in his bed at night, though the other room had been scrubbed thoroughly by said blond, he had felt guilty about bleeding all over the guest room. He scanned the darkness, his sense picking up nothing out of place, the sunshine boy whimpered almost silently.

Sasuke decided that this was probably the reason he awoke, he would never admit this to anyone, but he pulled the blond closer to him, he was still amazed at the heat that came off the other, even after almost a week of bed sharing. Naruto snuggled closer instinctively, a sign of trust, Sasuke's heart clenched; the teen trusted him in his sleep but wouldn't open up to him. His question were either shrugged away or ignored, completely unanswered and his concern worsened.

Naruto even wrapped in Sasuke's arms was struggling everything was vivid and even though he knew it was a dream, it seemed real to him, it didn't matter how many times the scenes played for him.

_** /A beautiful red haired woman was lying in the grassy fields, her stomach round with child. She smiles up at the giant nine tailed fox, there's no fear even as he shrinks down into a man. Her smile only grows when the fox sits beside her **_

"_**what should we name the baby?" her hands lovingly placed over the bump, **_

_**Kurama's eyes flickered to his mate, his very human, very fragile mate "What about Naruto?" **_

_**The woman laughed, "Maelstrom?" Kurama smiled,**_

"_**If he's anything like you...I think the name is very fitting."**_

_** Kurama was trying to save his mate! These damned shinobi were fighting against him, she'd die in child birth if he couldn't get to her! He raised his mighty tail and flung the ninjas away from him, it was no use, they brought him down. The Yondaime stood over him, this demon had stolen his bride, and his child, yet here he was attacking the village. After they had gone through so much to retrieve his love, and his heir, he'd be no man (demon or not) if had just left it as is.**_

_** The woman was currently giving birth, they had no way of telling if it was the demon's or his own until it was born. The Yondaime delivered the killing blow to the Kyuubi no Kitsune, nothing but ash and blood was left. **_

_** Kushina was dying, she knew it, she could no longer feel the presence of Kurama, and without him she would be unable to live through the birthing. She tightly gripped the hand of her nurse **_

"_**please" she begged**_

"_**please, his name is Naruto! This baby's name is Naruto!" she was crying.**_

_**She gave a final push, releasing the baby from her body, and collapsed back onto the bed, the sounds of wailing filled the air. The nurse cleaned and bundled up Naruto, and turned to hand him **__**to the woman, Kushina had already passed on.**_

_** The Yondaime was completely worn and his chakra exhausted by the time he made it to the hospital were they kept his beloved. He entered the room as they covered her face, the nurse still holding the baby Naruto, golden fox ears lay flat against his head, three golden tail wrapped around to waist, and three whisker like marks on each cheek. The Hokage snatched the baby away from the nurse "demon thief" was all he uttered before placing a seal on the baby, the ears and tails disappeared, leaving only the whisker marks and the crying infant behind. **_

_** Naruto sat on the swing outside the academy, like the other kids, he had completed and graduated from the school, his eyes were down cast. Nobody awaited him, only harsh whispers "I can't believe they let him graduate! Can you believe they even let that demon into the academy?" A mother whispered to another, shooting the boy dirty looks. **_

_** Someone had broken into his apartment again, all his dishes were broken, his couch shredded. He couldn't even find his mattress, at least they didn't steal his clothes again. He had quickly learned playing the fool and smiling like an idiot made him less threatening, though how a ten year old boy was a threat, he could never guess. He hadn't failed the first three times because he was the dead last but because Iruka was the only one who graded him fairly.**_

_** He knew the village hated him, but he didn't think it'd go this far, drunken village men had cornered him. He knew fighting back would only make things worse, he curled as small as he could and took the beating, he took every kick, jab, and punch. He blocked out every insult and curse directed to him. And waited. **_

_** Naruto was older, and though the villagers had stopped attacking him because of the new Hokage (who they all believed was crazy)punished civilians and ninja alike. It didn't stop the cold stares and harsh glares, it didn't mute the curses and insults slung at him. It was getting to him, having heard every insult and curse, having been told he was nothing more then a monster for so long, and he believed it. He just smiled and acted the fool for everyone that he had become one, he couldn't stop now, it was automatic. He hated it. **_

_** A little girl dropped her doll, it head shattering against the hard ground, she tried to pick up the pieces; but a shard had sliced her hand. Naruto watched the blood. It seemed a relief against the porcelain./**_

The blond shifted in his sleep, this dream wasn't really a nightmare, more like random memories put together. Some of them weren't even his. He felt the warmth tighten around himself, put he couldn't pull away from his sleep.

_**/ Naruto watched his friends retreating backs, and his own. The other him smiled over his shoulder at the real Naruto, "they never belonged to you" he said, "They've always belonged to me, to my smiles and charms, they **_**don't**_** even know you." His friends had disappeared, leaving only the blond and his fake self, the fake turned to face him completely. **_

_** There were no whisker marks, his eyes were a paler blue**_

"_**Just leave already! There's nothing for you, nothing belongs to a faker like you!" the non-marked Naruto yelled at the other, **_

"_**They will abandon you, cast you aside! You're nothing more then a monster's spawn!"**_

_**He stepped forward, causing the real Naruto to step back "You're disgusting! Like the Uchiha heir! He can't revive his clan with a filthy demon like you. Let him go." **_

_** The real Naruto was mumbling, his words had no sound or shape. He was clutching his head to block out himself, but the words had sunk into his head, repeating, everything was laid out before him. Sakura rejecting him over and over again, Sasuke glaring at him whenever he made a mistake, Kakashi's blank stare. The part that got to him was **_**him, **_**he just smiled and accepted the harsh words and the stares, they were eating him up. **_

_** He couldn't hate them it all went inside, he felt like he was poisoning himself, he wasn't even the real him. It seemed every word he spoke was a lie, every smile was a mask, and he was breaking himself. His blood was singing./**_

Naruto sat up in the bed, Sasuke groggily rubbing circles on his back, he looked at the other. Sasuke's heart clenched at the fear and self loathing he see on the others face, he pulled him closer to himself, the blond was mumbling something but he couldn't understand the words

"it's okay, Naruto, it's okay."

/ This is probably my least favorite chapter, bleh! Anyway a small look into Naurto's head, kinda or something. I never really thought about their ages v.v so maybe around 16 and 17? Tell me what you think or then the randomness :)\\


	7. Snow

Chapter VII

Snow

Sasuke was really worried about the blond teen, he was acting a little odd, he now knew from experience that this is when he needed watched the most. The Hokage gave them another mission, again he found this odd, but when he questioned the busty blond

all she had said was "Stopping missions will just make him worse, they'll keep him busy and keep the council from asking questions."

He really didn't see why the council would ask questions, but maybe keeping the blond active would keep his mind off things, that and he'd probably complain if there were no missions.

Sasuke sighed, this mission was indefinite, guarding some princess or something; It didn't sound like much of a mission to him.

Naruto was practically bouncing with excitement, because for one, the mission meant spending time outdoors, and two, one of the rest spots was a hot spring. The blond was almost sure fresh air would do him some good, even if it was a simple D-rank mission.

~~~~Squee Break~~~~

The teen that stood before them didn't look like a princess or anything, she wore a short ice blue kimono with a fishnet shirt underneath, and at least a good head shorter then Sakura. She eyed them lazily

"a bunch of lame asses, un"

she flicked her hand at Sakura "your hair is annoying, un"

then Sasuke "how boring, Mr. Gloom and Doom, un"

eyes lingered on Naruto a moment "Blondie is the only hope for fun, un, and he's probably gay."

Naruto splattered, who did this girl think she was?

She flicked light purple hair away from her shoulder "Just call me Snow, un"

Sasuke's eye was twitching, not only was she rude but her accent was pissing him off, who said un that much? Her gray eyes seemed to see through people, this mission would be hard.

~~~Mission Break~~~

Snow sighed, they'd been walking almost an hour and no one had said a word, it was much too quiet for her tastes. She skipped ahead a little catching up to the blond ninja

"hey, Blondie! What's your favorite color? Un"

they boy's eyes seemed just a little dead to her

"um wha...? Blue?"

she nodded "Blue's a good color, un, but green or purple would make your eyes pop un."

Snow sighed again, at least he didn't say orange like his jumpsuit, she hated that shade. She pulled out measuring tape and wrapped it around his shoulders

"oh! So small un! How cute!"

then measured from finger tips to shoulder, his waist and hips, and leg length. Ignoring the odd stares, she put away the measuring tape and pulled out a small red scroll and ink, she quickly wrote everything down

"Oh, I got it! Un, this will be fabulous!" She was practically bouncing with each step,

"What's your favorite season? Un, probably spring or summer right? Un,"

Naruto eyed her wearily "fall?" he said uncertain.

She nodded her head a little, she could see that, lots of bright leaves, people put up colorful decorations too. She asked random questions to fill the silence while she planned and designed in her head.

~~~Snow Break~~~

Finally the first rest stop came into view, a dainty road side inn, along one side grew blue chrysanthemums. She had team 7 wait by the door as she talked to the inn keeper,

with Naruto's sharp ears he caught "Yuki no Hime,"

and "I already said that," as she whispered in a low voice.

She snatched the keys away from the guy "Idiot, un."

and turned back to the team, "We're on the second floor, un"

She pointed to an old staircase. Snow tossed a key to Kakashi, one to Sakura,

then looked at Naruto and Sasuke "Sorry, un, you'll have to share a room, but it has to beds. Un,"

And tossed one to Sasuke before heading up the stairs. Snow immediately locked herself in her room, pulling out a pink scroll and unsealing her fabrics, she had a bit of work to do. She left the Team to play musical doors.

~~~Lost Break~~~

Naruto plopped on the bed, it had taken almost twenty minutes to find their room, at least the room had decent sized beds. Naruto turned his head to the raven, who was leaning against the wall next to the window,

"I think she's weird, like she's running from something" Sasuke's eyes darted to Naruto's

"are you gay?" the words rang out into the silence,

Was he? Did it matter?

"Yes? Maybe, does it matter?"

Blue eyes dulled a little as the other said nothing, not even his monosyllables 'Hmm'. Naruto sat up, suddenly he need a shower, a nice warm shower. He locked the door behind him, there was a very large indoor bath, he scrubbed quickly and stepped into the tub, started to relax as soon as he sat down.

The steam was soothing, it didn't take long for blue eyes to close.

/_WAH! finally, sorry my lovely readers, life is...a little hectic at best. I'm a try and Update sooner, I promise.\\_


	8. Steam

Chapter VIII

Steam

He could feel himself sink lower and lower, his tense muscles loosening under the heat and steam. He could still feel the other staring at him, nothing was shone in those eyes, they had stayed blank. Maybe he should have said something else, anything else, he had pretty much confirmed his homosexuality in front of his teammate.

His crush on Sakura had been fake, nobody could possible still like someone after being shot down so many times, but he hadn't understood his own feelings, maybe it was the way she looked at Sasuke and how he had wanted someone to look at him with such eyes.

_** /The bath was full of blood, he looked down at his arms, his criss cross scars were bleeding heavily. He felt weak, trying to scream as he slid under and the blood filled his mouth/ **_

Naruto whimpered slightly before slipping down completely in the bath, water rushing to fill his lungs.

_**/Naruto managed to pull his head above the surface, another him stood above the tub, his face was un marred by the scars, his eyes were paler. The unmarked Naruto grabbed his hair and pushed him under again, the red faded away. Sasuke stood across from him, disgust filling his eyes,**_

"_**what do you want fag?" **_

_**it felt like the words were stealing the air from his lungs, Sasuke shoved him back, **_

"_**freak," he couldn't breathe.**_

_**Naruto opened his mouth to speak, instead of words black liquid poured from his lips, it quickly consumed all of the light, and the other's skin. Sasuke clawed at the darkness covering him, trying to pull it away until it reached the top of his neck**_

"_**Naruto! Wake up!" Sasuke was gone./ **_

Sasuke wound his arms under Naruto's arms, pulling him from the tub and laying him on the tile. He quickly checked the blond's breathing, he wasn't. Sasuke knew he was panicking, running CPR through his head as he did it, it took longer then he was comfortable with but Naruto coughed up water and started breathing on his own again.

Covering the blond with a towel (he just realized Naruto's nakedness) and lifting him bridal style, he moved him into the bedroom and set him on the bed before running down the hall to find Sakura. In all the commotion Snow ended up following the Raven and Pink haired girl to the boy's room. Her mannequin still had colorful fabrics hung on it. The blond, Naruto was passed out on the bed in nothing more then a towel,

"eww, gross! Naruto at least put clothes on!" Sakura huffed,

Snow reached up and smacked the back of her head.

"look there silly girl, un, his breathing is bad, un,"

Sakura glared at her a second before looking closer

"what happened?" she went into medic mode,

stepping closer to Naruto's form and checking his pulse, it was uneven and faint,

"he fell asleep in the bath." Sasuke's eyes were anywhere but on his blond,

this was partially his fault, when he needed support and friendship Sasuke had said nothing. He was to shocked to say anything that may have been helpful, but it looked maybe his silence was more hurtful then not. Snow may have been facing the blond but her eyes was one the silent raven, his eyes held panic, fear, and a little guilt.

For some reason a design was already working through her head, though she would use a more red-orange then orange, she left the room and went to her own, so little time and so much to do. Sakura healed as much as she could, but there wasn't much wrong in the first place, lingering water in his lungs, but the unevenness of his heart beat and breath were caused by something else, his chakra was odd as well.

It flared off and on at weird intervals, it felt like something was changing,

she quickly turned to Sasuke, "go get Kakashi!"

Kakashi stood over the blond, he had sensed the odd chakra lashing from his room and was already stepping out when Sasuke came to get him. It had diminished back to normal as he arrived at the room, the whisker like scars on Naruto's face seemed to stand out a little more, his tan had faded slightly

"Sasuke, keep a close eye on him. If this happens again, we'll forfeit the mission and head back to Tsunade to have him checked out."

He eyed the blond a minute or so, deciding he didn't really want to know before leaving. Sakura sighed and stood straight

"come get me immediately if he even so much as sneezes, there's something... weird about his health right now," she looked over at him

"and I might not be capable of helping"


	9. Glass

Chapter IX

Glass

He felt odd, like something was breaking? It was hard to describe, like a glass shield around something that wasn't really there and then the glass breaks. Naruto slowly blinks his eyes open, the room was way too bright from some reason, and a little blurry, his throat felt kinda rough, and the was a resounding dull ache in his head, all in all, he felt like shit.

~~~Crappy Break~~~

The blond tried blinking away at least the blurriness, it was just around the edge of his vision but it was still annoying as hell. He sat up and groaned, that dull ache in his head intensified by ten, and his stomach stayed on the bed.

His stomach was kind of burning too, he looked down at the area only to see an odd blue-sh glow where the seal is; Naruto lifted his shirt slowly but the glow remained, it seemed to outer characters were either changing or fading. Either way, it was not a good sign.

The blond decided, after the mission he'd go and see Grandma Tsunade, until then he'd have to be careful; he hadn't been out of the village since they delivered the scroll. He quickly pulled his jacket on and stepped into the hallway, he could hear Snow arguing with someone in her own room, it sounded like they brought her the wrong threads.

Downstairs he stepped into the back courtyard and sat beneath the only cherry blossom tree in the yard, the faint pink petals falling from there yellow centers and blowing around the tree. It was relaxing, this silence was comfortable and lulling. He allowed his eyes to close, and maybe because he was unwell, he fell asleep very quickly, the other him wasn't there.

~~Cherry Blossom Break~~

Sasuke was only slightly panicked, the blond couldn't have gone to far, right? Okay, he was actually panicking, when he had woken up his teammate was gone, not in the room or the bathroom, and not in the kitchen downstairs.

The Inn was not that big, and the other probably hadn't left, hopefully, he opened the door to the courtyard, if the other wasn't hear he'd go get their teacher. His eyes landed on the sunshine blond, said blond looked more peaceful then he had in a very long time.

A few petals had landed in Naruto's hair, as had sat leaned against the tree, his jumpsuit jacket didn't quiet reach his hands, and Sasuke could a faint hint of scars. He sat across from the blond and looked up into the tree, it didn't feel right disturbing the blond after such chaos.

Snow had been watching the blond for a time before Mr. Gloom and doom had joined him beneath the tree, her project was nearly complete.

~~Peaceful Break~~

Naruto had been quiet since he had awoken under the tree, a grumpy Uchiha watching him. What was there to say? It was either too much or too little, so he said nothing, it felt like everyone was watching him, but when he turned to them only Sasuke kept eye contact. Snow chatted happily way about nothing, pointing out different plants and rocks, it was more to fill the awkward silence then for conversation.

Sasuke's eyes were burning holes in his back, but he couldn't turn and face him again, because when he looked at him now, all he could see was the darkness covering his skin, the after image was stuck. Sasuke was watching the blond very carefully, he could tell it was starting to bother him, but he had yet to turn to him, to say anything.

_/I know it's a shitty chapter after not updating in forever, I'm trying to get back into writing. It's just a little hard\\_


	10. Eyes

Chapter X

Eyes

Sasuke's eyes hadn't left Naruto since they left the inn, the village they were currently in was small, but busy. Children ran about, just barely not crashing into the busy villagers as they went about setting up street stalls and hanging lanterns. The hustle and bustle would normally have drawn the now quiet blond's attention to every stall and light, now he looked downcast and fidgeted often. Sasuke let out a very Uchiha like breath, because Uchiha's did not sigh.

Naruto fidgeted with his sleeves, not looking around, it was just another place where people lived normal lives. They didn't have to prove anything to anyone, they didn't have to work hard to be noticed or make friends; to find romance. The loud noises were starting to get to him, his ears seemed more sensitive, Sasuke had been sighing a lot since the inn. Naruto knew even though Sakura was whispering very quietly to Snow, exactly what they were saying, as if yelling it loudly, though he had checked a few times to find them huddled to gather behind Kakashi.

Said teacher was flipping through the pages of Icha Icha paradise, the sound of paper brushing against paper alone made Naruto want to cover his ears, suddenly his eyes could see every grain of dirt in the street beneath him. Jarring pain exploded in his head, Naruto pitched forward, unable to catch himself he crumpled to the ground. As unconsciousness began to seep in, heard a startled grunt from Sasuke, and half a squeal from the girls.

~~Blue Break~~

Sasuke watched as his rival started changing, Naruto's screams echoed around the room (Kakashi made them stop at another inn) as his spine ripped through his flesh, and grew.

The bones barely stopped after reaching past his feet, Naruto, who laying face down on the bed, was panting and gasping for breath. It felt like every bone in his body was on fire and trying to tear free from his flesh, then his extended spine split into three equal size stripes.

Sasuke watched amazed as first muscle and flesh grew over the bones, which he now recognized as tails (causing him to gape like a fish), then a soft layer of thick silky gold tipped in snowy white. Naruto was clutching his head as his ears widened and formed a fox like shape before moving to sit slightly higher up, a soft layer of gold and snow cover them as well, his blue eyes were slightly more slanted then before as well. Naruto's eyes shot to Sasuke's pleadingly before he passed out once again.

Sasuke was not entirely sure what he just witnessed, but now he had a half human, half fox Naruto passed out on the bed. He reached over a covered his teammate with the thin blankets the inn had provided, what was he supposed to do now?

~~Eye Break~~

**15minutes before**

Kakashi had written in detail, everything that happened since the mission began, he left Sakura to guard Snow a few rooms away, and Sasuke with the fainted Naruto two floors down. He could faintly hear someone screaming, worried for Naruto, he made his way down.

~~Fluffy Tails!~~

Naruto changed back to almost normal after passing out, his tails disappeared and his ears shifted back to normal, only a little pointer then before, and the eyes remained changed. Naruto's breathing was soothingly even as he snuggled Sasuke's waist, Sasuke himself reassured himself that Naruto was now just sleeping after such... changes.

His light snores and little mumbles proved that, he reached down and ran his hands through the silky strands of blond, he couldn't help thinking how beautiful Naruto looked. Sasuke leaned down and pressed his lips to Naruto's temple just as the door opened.

(_/so tempted to end it here XP but i'm not done yet!/)_

Sasuke jumped back quickly and glared at Kakashi, the Teacher looked amused

"How is he? Ma" his voice was almost mocking,

and his visible eye was turned in an upward u, Sasuke Hn'd and untangled himself from the sleeping blond,

"'Suke" Naruto mumbled before turning over.

This time Sasuke did sigh, he needed to talk to the blond before he told the teacher of his...transformation.

Sleep felt nice after so much, he snuggled to the warmth, it smelled like Sasuke. He sighed, he kinda missed the mansion where Sasuke lived, he tiredly said the other's name.__

__Sleep Break~~

_**Sasuke was smiling at him, "Hello sleepyhead" **_

_**Naruto blinked confused, "hi" was his shy response.**_

_**The raven reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him up. Naruto looked around, tress lined a clearing they were sitting in, **_

"_**how did we get here?" he asked feeling lost,**_

_**wasn't he just walking through a village square? Where was Sakura, Snow, and Kakashi? And why was Sasuke being so weird? **_

_**Sasuke put his hand to Naruto's forehead "we walked?" **_

_**Naruto could just nod, he felt really warm, like sleepy warm. **_

_**He smiled "okay," **_

_**Sasuke petted his hair and smiled again, before leaning over and kissing his temple. Naruto was really confused, **_

"_**why'd you do that?" he looked up at him **_

"_**Come on, we don't have much time." Sasuke was running towards the trees, **_

_**Naruto stood and almost fell again, his balance was off, looking he saw three beautiful tails swaying happily behind him. Sasuke was just passing the tree line. **_

"_**Sasuke!" he took off after him,**_

_**but he was nearly out of sight when he got to the trees as well **_

"_**Wait! 'Suke!" then he was gone. **_

_**He continued forward, looking for his friend, but the further he went the thicker the trees got, until he could go no further. Whimpering he curled into a ball, he was still confused, and now lost, and Sasuke was gone. **_

~~Lost Break~~

Sasuke stepped into the hallway with their Teacher, and closed the door,

"I sent word to Tsunade-hime" Kakashi said slowly,

"I'm not sure what's going on with Naruto, but he shouldn't be here"

_/AN: WOOOOOOOO! Sorry it took so long to update, I did the whole chapter today, hopefully it's a least a little longer then the norm. Tell me what you think! I love reviews -Hugs readers- sorry kinda hyper. BYE\\_


	11. Tails

Chapter XI

Tails

Naruto felt cold but rested, the odd dream had left him feeling off. He looked around the unfamiliar room, all the colors seemed more defined and bold then they should have, even from the bed he could hear Kakashi out in the hall.

"I sent word to Tsunade-hime. I'm not sure what's going on with Naruto, but he shouldn't be here" Kakashi said,

his voice not even muffled by the distance and wall, He could hear a sigh then

"He's as much a part of this team as anyone" it was Sasuke.

~Foxy Break~

Naruto got up and walked to the bathroom, the sound of rushing water finally drowned out the sounds of talking. He quickly bathed and redressed, stretching, his tails reappeared and swayed lazily behind him, his ears flicking at every tiny sound. Releasing his ears and tails only caused a little pain, no more then a pinch. Naruto rubbed his now unmarred stomach, it seemed to be the weirdest part of his... transformation, the spirally ink had been there since he was a babe and now the seal was gone. The seal breaking released all his power, near limitless chakra, he'd heal in seconds. He looked closely at the wrists, his scars, his windows, were completely gone, not even a trace of faint pink.

~Blue Break~

Snow entered the hall Sasuke and Naruto were staying on, Sasuke had his voice raised to Kakashi, the anger on his face made Snow shiver, was something exciting happening? She brought the package closer to her chest, all the threads, silks, and colors had finally come together and the piece she held now was a master piece, her master piece. It seemed they'd be parting ways soon anyway, her time here was more limited then she thought, but at least she'd be able to stay for the festival tonight. Snow waved at the two

"Hey, is Naruto awake? I have a present for him." she said walking over.

Uncaring if she was interrupting something, Sasuke Hn'd and turned back to the door. Naruto put his ears and tails away, plopping on the bed just as the door opened, he could faintly smell sweet tomatoes and rain, nearly purring he looked at Sasuke with a bright smile. For a moment Sasuke's heart fluttered, it was very un Uchiha and he would never admit it happened,

"she has something," he pointed at Snow

and turned his head to the window, he was still pissed at Kakashi. Snow quick set the package on the bed,

"Strip!" she demanded

both males spluttered, Sasuke's head whipped to them, was she serious?

Naruto looked extremely uncomfortable "um, I'd rather not"

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she handed him the package and turned around

"Just put that on, un!"

Naruto sighed but removed his shirt and pants, Sasuke was watching out of the very corner of his eye, he was not peeping, nope. Naruto looked at his stomach again, he felt very strange not having the markings, he just shrugged it off and opened the package. It was a beautiful silk Kimono, the very top a deep orange that faded into black, the bottom full of blue chrysanthemums, the obi was the same color as the flowers silhouettes of birds. He quickly put it on, the silk felt good against his skin

"I wanna tie the Obi, Un!"

Before Naruto could protest she had already turned around, Snow grabbed the obi from the package and motioned for him to turn around, she wrapped it around his waist pulling the obi back until it rested against his skin then tied it in an intricate box knot, Naruto blushed at how short the Kimono was, it was several inches up on his thighs, the creamy tan skin.

~Silky Break~

Snow smiled, it fits exactly how she hoped, showing just how beautiful the blond teen was, she pushed him back onto the bed in a sitting position and started combing his out control hair. She finally tamed his bangs after a ten minute struggle with his hair, she pulled out a small, blue, butterfly hair clip and pinned his bangs to frame his face.

Sasuke watched as Snow brushed Naruto's hair, the other looked prettier then any female he had ever met, even without makeup, he was a natural. Sasuke took a step forward, he wanted to do nothing more then grab his blond and hold him, Sasuke wasn't sure when he had moved to stand in front of the smaller teen, or when he had cupped Naruto's cheek. What he did know was nothing had ever felt this right, the warmth in Naruto's cheeks or the blush that graced them, leaning down Sasuke slowly pressed his lips against Naruto's, in a gentle and sweet kiss. Naruto's eyes fluttered shut, leaning into Sasuke's kiss.

/) finally! :D (\


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